Rules of Engagement
by picrusher
Summary: Beverly and Jean-Luc find themselves in another potentially dangerous situation. One-Shot. P/C


**A/N: **This was written quite a while ago (November 2011) as part of a challenge thread on The P/C Fanfic Archive. I miss that site. :( Anyway, I just found a recovered file from my writing flash drive and thought I'd share this with you while I work on my others on which I PROMISE you I'm working. Anyway the prompt for this was "failure". It's kind of silly/stupid but it is what it is. Sorry the summary is such crap. I couldn't think of how to write it and not give away the ending. Enjoy.

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**Rules of Engagement**

…

"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself."

– Charlie Chaplin

…

A blanket of darkness. A whisper. A muted laugh. A gentle brush of warm skin.

She closed her eyes and savored the moment for a second before she moved to seek a bit of space that didn't contain him. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the occasional kiss of his flesh against hers. In a way it was comforting. However, after an hour of continual contact, she desired a little breathing room. Unfortunately, maneuvering around him proved difficult when every surface…every corner was covered in shadow.

"Jean-Luc!" she cried out as his body once again pressed into hers.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it." He squirmed to his right, attempting to put some space between them. A frustrated sigh fell from his mouth as he once again hit the wall behind him. "I can't move back any farther. Can't you just…"

"I'm already as far over as I can, Jean-Luc," she answered. Suddenly the humor of everything caught up with her causing unrestrained laughter to fall from her lips. "This is ridiculous."

He smiled. "We really do know how to get ourselves into tricky situations, don't we?"

"_We_?" she asked incredulously. "_We_ didn't do anything. All of this is on _you_, mister." Lifting her hand, she poked at the air in front of her with the hope that she'd connect with his chest.

Jean-Luc chuckled when her finger jabbed him just below his collarbone. Shifting to avoid another direct hit, he reached out and managed to grab her finger. "I seem to recall," he started playfully, "that there were _two_ of us in that room."

"I still say it's your fault." She yanked her finger from his grasp and quickly tried to cover another fit of laughter with a cough. "You can't put a thing on me," she said with an adamant nod. "If you'd just paid closer attention. My signals were clear as day."

"Maybe a San Franciscan cloudy, fog soaked day in the middle of January."

With an unseen roll of her eyes she replied with a flat, "very funny."

Jean-Luc held up his hands defensively. "I'm just saying that you were perfectly welcome to chime in with your input at any time."

"Why should I have? _You're_ the great negotiator." She sighed and leaned against the wall closest to her. "So," she said, deciding to change the subject, "how does it feel to know the great Jean-Luc Picard failed a mission? _And_ that said failure was his fault?" She smirked as she imagined the look of exasperation he was most likely giving her.

"Beverly," he admonished as her laugh floated to his ears. When the warmth of her fingers trailed a path of fire across his bicep a small, surprised gasp drifted from his mouth. "Toying with me will get you nowhere, Doctor," he said, trying to sound as unaffected by her touch as he could.

"Oh really?" she goaded.

He shuddered. She was so close he could smell the remnants of the perfume she'd applied that morning. He could feel the beat of her heart on his arm. He could taste the mischief in her voice. Every one of his muscles tensed at her proximity. After taking a steadying breath, he drew her into his arms in one quick movement.

"_Captain_," she said breathlessly. "What would your crew say if they knew you were seducing your chief medical officer while you were being held prisoner?"

Jean-Luc laughed and held her closer. "Do you object to my solution for our cramped…quarters?"

She looked toward his face. Narrowing her eyes she attempted to bring his features out of the dark. "What exactly _is_ your solution, Captain?"

"Let's forget all about this failure business and focus on the two people trapped inside this tiny, black room. Let's make the most of the situation we've found ourselves in."

Following the rich sound of his voice, she leaned forward and grazed his lips with hers. "I think that," she said then leaned in for another kiss, "sounds like a perfect idea." She sealed her statement with yet another kiss.

After several minutes she pulled away and sighed happily. With a smile, she exhaled and looked around the darkened, small space they'd been trapped in for the past hour. "So, when do you think they'll let us out of this prison?" she asked quietly.

"Beverly," he said disapprovingly.

"I know, I know," she said as she held up her hand. After clearing her throat she continued in her best Captain Picard voice. "Beverly, it is important to think positively."

"It is," he scolded, with a smirk twitching at the corners of his mouth.

She rolled her eyes impishly then stepped forward and ran her fingers down his cheek. "I'm glad you're here with me," she whispered against his lips. "If I'm going to get stuck in these preposterous predicaments there's no one I'd rather have by my side."

Just as he was about to respond their committed guard burst through the door. The startled pair turned toward the blinding light and shielded their eyes. Before either of them could say a thing the guard barked out his order.

"Face forward. No touching. No talking."

They each resisted the instant urge to look at one another and complied with the command. The man then stepped in front of the streaming light, allowing them to see his face for the first time. Beverly gasped and monitored Jean-Luc's response from the corner of her eye. She noticed that he too was startled by their captor's choice in guard.

After the man surveyed them for a moment and made his final preparations for their transport, he stepped behind them and took his position. "Okay, now walk…slowly…and no funny business," he said with a look of warning.

They each took a deep breath then emerged from the small, darkened room. As they entered the hallway, they both squinted against the bright light pouring through the windows. Though blinding, the sunlight was welcome as it warmed their skin and caused a shaky yet embracing sense of contentment.

Although Beverly was fairly sure she knew where they were headed, it still caused a knot to tangle in her stomach. They'd waited for so long. What if this didn't end the way they had envisioned. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath while repeating Jean-Luc's mantra in her head.

"It's important to think positively."

"What?" Jean-Luc whispered to her.

Beverly shook her head. "Nothing."

"Silence!" the guard said forcefully from behind them.

They came to a stop as they reached a large door at the end of the long hallway. Their "escort" eyed them carefully then stepped up to the door. He turned to them with another look of warning then swung the door open.

"Proceed," he said.

Beverly stared down the narrow walkway for a few moments before continuing. Once she deemed it safe enough to speak again, she turned her head toward Jean-Luc slightly. "And why is it," she muttered out of the side of her mouth, "that Captain Jean-Luc Picard is okay with all of this?" Her eyes widened as she took a dramatic breath. "Why are you not panicking?" she asked, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

He continued their slow pace, letting her question hang in the quieted air. "Because," he finally answered in a whisper as they reached the end of their journey, "I'm marrying the love of my life. _And_," he continued, "it doesn't matter that we were forced to have a traditional Betazoid wedding because we lost a bet to Will and Deanna Riker." He paused for a second. "Do you know why?"

Her face then entire body flushed a light pink. "Because you love me?" she answered in a sarcastic and unenthusiastic way.

"Because I love you," he responded with a chuckle. "And that's all that matters." He leaned in and kissed her.

He let his lips linger on hers for a few moments then leisurely pulled away, noticing her eyes were slow to open. As he looked at his beautiful bride, his heart swelled. He couldn't believe he was finally marrying her.

As Beverly's eyes began to open, a smirk pulled onto her face. She leaned in toward Jean-Luc's ear and breathed in his scent before exhaling slowly. "But in the end," she said in a husky voice, "you still failed."

"The way I see it, there's really no point in fixating on the negative."

"And why is that?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I may have failed but…" He smiled brightly. "You're still marrying me."

She shook her head and smiled. "The things we do for love."

At the front of the room, their escort stepped next to Captain Will Riker and gave him a calculated nod of his head. With an intriguing smirk on his golden-tinged lips, he moved into the position of best man. Once Deanna took her place next to Beverly, Will raised his arms and waited for everyone's attention.

"Now that we have the prisoners…" He stopped and quickly cleared his throat. "I mean the happy couple. We can begin." Pausing he smiled brightly and winked at his two friends. "It is with great honor that I say, we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony…"

**The End.**

…


End file.
